1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an upright-type vacuum cleaner, and more particularly to an upright-type vacuum cleaner having a cyclone unit, which separates dust from an air current by a centrifugal force as drawn air forms a whirling air current.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an upright-type vacuum cleaner having a cyclone unit, a cyclone body for separating dust from a dust-laden air by a centrifugal force is generally formed in a dust-collecting chamber of a cleaner body. In addition, a dust-container for collecting the dust separated in the cyclone body by the centrifugal force is formed at a lower part of the cyclone body in the dust-collecting chamber.
However, a conventional upright-type vacuum cleaner with the above construction has some problems, which are enumerated below.
First, in the conventional upright-type vacuum cleaner, the cyclone body is connected with the cleaner body by a screw. Therefore, cleaning, repair, and maintenance of the vacuum cleaner is not easily done, and in some cases, the life span of the vacuum cleaner is shortened.
In other words, to connect the cyclone body with the cleaner body or to separate the cyclone body from the cleaner body, not only is a separate tool needed, such as a screwdriver, but also a long time is spent to fasten or unfasten a screw.
In addition, to clean or repair the cyclone body, a user necessarily unscrews and screws the screw. As the number of cycles of unscrewing and screwing is increased, there is a possibility of damaging the screw connection part of the cleaner body, thereby preventing the user from using the vacuum cleaner.
Second, in the conventional upright-type vacuum cleaner, a sloping groove is formed at a lower side of the dust-container, and a lever-type connection/separation means, which has a protrusion for elevating and lowering the dust-container by moving along the sloping groove, is disposed at a lower part of the dust-container. If the connection/separation means is rotated to the right or the left, the protrusion moves along the sloping groove, thereby connecting with or separating the cyclone body from the cleaner body as the dust-container is elevated or lowered. To connect the dust-container with the cleaner body, or to separate the dust-container from the cleaner body, the user necessarily connects or separates the dust-container with or from the cyclone body, thus friction between the lower side of the dust-container and the connection/separation means is accompanied.
Moreover, the dust-container should be separated at any time from the cleaner body for removing collected dust. Therefore, if the vacuum cleaner is used for a long time, the sloping groove of the dust-container becomes scratched by the friction.
Although the scratches do not affect functioning of the vacuum cleaner, considering that the dust-container is usually formed by injection molding with transparent material, it can damage the beauty and aesthetics of the vacuum cleaner.
Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to solve the first problem of the conventional upright-type vacuum cleaner and thus to provide an upright-type vacuum cleaner in which the cyclone body is connected to and separated from the cleaner body easily and quickly without using a separate tool such as a screwdriver.
A second object of the present invention is to solve the second problem of the conventional upright-type vacuum cleaner and thus to provide an upright-type vacuum cleaner in which the dust-container is connected and separated with or from the cleaner body without causing any aesthetic damage to the dust container or cleaner body due to frictional wear between the two.
The first object of the present invention is accomplished by providing an upright-type vacuum cleaner comprising a cleaner body in which a suction brush is formed at a lower part, a vacuum-generating device being built therein, a cyclone unit for separating dust from the air drawn through a suction passage connected with the suction brush, discharging the cleaned air through a discharging passage connected with the vacuum-generating device, and a dust-container, removably connected with a lower part of the cyclone unit for collecting the dust separated by the cyclone unit, the cyclone unit having a locking handle, and a handle connection portion, the locking handle being removably connected by the handle connection portion to the cleaner body. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the locking handle comprises a rotating knob.
Moreover, the second object of the present invention is accomplished by providing an upright-type vacuum cleaner comprising a cleaner body in which a suction brush is formed at a lower part, a vacuum-generating device being built therein, a cyclone unit for separating dust from the air drawn through a suction passage connected with the suction brush, discharging the cleaned air through a discharging passage connected with the vacuum-generating device, and a dust-container, removably connected with a lower part of the cyclone unit for collecting the dust separated by the cyclone unit. The dust-container is removably connected to the cyclone unit by a locking unit that moves upwardly and downwardly.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the locking unit includes an operating lever rotatably installed on the cleaner body. A locking disk moves upwardly and downwardly by rotating the operating lever. The operating lever and the locking disk each have cam units which effectuate the upward and downward motion of the locking unit when the operating lever is rotated.